In last week’s introductory article to this series on living in Babylon, we said that the coronavirus was changing everything – that is certainly indisputable. But the big questions are: What is changing? How should we be reacting to the changing world in which we are now living? And what sort of world will we have to face after the end of the pandemic?

Just as life changed dramatically for the people of Judah who were forced to go to live in Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem in 597 BC, so we are also living under state control telling us what we can and cannot do. Due to the national lockdown we have to stay in our homes, and we can only leave under certain conditions. It is not possible to do most of the things we traditionally do, like going to sporting events, football and rugby, or playing golf, or even going shopping around our favourite stores. The whole life of the nation has been turned upside down. That’s what living in Babylon requires: major adjustments to our lifestyles.

But isn’t that what the great shaking of the nations is all about? God has been promising for a long time that he would shake everything, including all the pillars of society, the things we believe to be essential for our civilisation and for maintaining our lifestyles. When God shakes everything, he means us to reassess our value system!

What are the really important things in life? What are the essentials that we could NOT live without? What do we value most? Is it material objects, or health and welfare, or is it relationships with others – with family, friends or work colleagues - or other things such as the voluntary service we give in the community?

These are just some of the questions we need to face in a re-examination of our lifestyles forced by this period of living ‘in Babylon’.

Signs of Change

Meanwhile, restaurants are providing meals for nurses and doctors in the hospitals to ensure they have at least one hot meal a day. We all come out every Thursday to acknowledge the great job being done by our NHS workers. Volunteers are taking meals to elderly residents. Neighbours are doing shopping for housebound people. Food banks are receiving huge amounts of food and many more families are receiving help.

Are these signs that we are becoming a more caring nation – more aware of needs in the community – and going out of our way to care for one another? Will this change our national culture in the longer term?

Even if we are becoming a more caring nation, does that mean that we are becoming a more Christian nation? This is a question we will be examining in an upcoming webinar (see below). There are many reports that the online services provided by cathedrals and churches up and down the country are being received by thousands more people than those who would normally go to church.

Furthermore, what can the community of Bible-believing Christians in Britain be doing at this time to grow the Body of Christ when we can no longer meet in our church buildings?